Chouko Honda
by FearyPirate
Summary: Hey Folks ! My name is Chouko Honda ! At the moment my sister Tohru and I are living in a tent in the woods. Why? Well… Our mother passed away this May and our father died when we were really little. So that leaves only us two...
1. Chapter 1

**What would happen if Tohru had a younger sister? Please note that I do not own Fruits Basket.**

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Hey Folks ! My name is Chouko Honda ! At the moment my sister Tohru and I are living in a tent in the woods. Why? Well… Our mother passed away this May and our father died when we were really little. So that leaves only us two. Immediately after our mother's death, our grandfather took us in. However, due to renovations we couldn't stay there anymore. My older sister told grandfather that we could stay with some friends, but she didn't want to bother them. So she bought a tent and she put our new home in the woods.

It doesn't matter how bad the situation is, Tohru will never give up. I admire that part of her personality. She likes to take care of people. Since I'm a year younger than her, she feels like it's her job to keep me safe. But who will look out for her? She doesn't accept my help and her best friends think we still live with our grandfather. She's always acting so sweet and carefree… But I know she's hurting inside. I notice this best when she's talking to our mom's picture. Like just now I heard her whispering "Mom, I'll leave you to tend to the house.". Seriously… It's just a tent...

While walking to school we notice a house. Tohru enthusiastically studies twelve stones painted as the animals of the zodiac. Suddenly a man appears, exclaiming "Why are there two girls here?". I sigh when my sister starts to apologize for looking around. She's always too friendly… Even towards a man who seems to be enjoying the company of a high school girl a bit too much. I listen with a nostalgic feeling when Tohru mentions the story about the cat in the legend of the twelve animal zodiacs. Mom liked that story. Every time she told it, it left Tohru crying for the cat.

I look up and see the man sitting really close to Tohru. I don't trust him… I want to protect my sister, but a boy beat me to it and hits the man with his school bag. Where did I see this boy before? Tohru jumps up in shock and shouts "Sohma-san! Good… Good Morning!". Ah… Now I remember… He's in my sister's class. The suspicious man introduces himself as Shigure. Apparently he's the cousin of Yuki Sohma… Nop… I still don't trust him.

Yuki proposed to walk together to school. Shortly after that, we're on our way. I walk in silence next to them, ignoring my sister's nervous chatter. Yuki remains polite the whole time. If I recall it correctly, he's quite popular. He even has his own fan club. God, those girls can be annoying. I hope they don't see us together with him. They would definitely blame my sister for it. Just when I break out of my thoughts, we reached my sister's school. My school is only a little bit further. I turn to my sister and say "See you later, sis!". She sends me her normal goofy smile in return and whispers "Be careful on the road". Why does she look so hurt every time she says that?

With zero motivation I walk further to my school. I hate going to school, but my sister forces me to go. Listening is the least I can do to thank her. When I arrive at my class room, I take my seat at the left back corner of the room. Personally I think it's the best spot. It has great view through the window. I look around in the classroom and as expected, my class members are again trying to stay far away from me. It's like they think I will take a leaden pipe out of my bag to start destroying things. I can't change the fact that I look too much like my mum. I may act and look like my mom when she was younger, but that doesn't make me a yankee… Well yeah… Maybe I did cause a bit of havoc on the day my mom died. Can you really blame me? I sigh when I notice the lesson is going to start.

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My school finishes first. As a result I'm waiting at my sister's school. After a while I see my sister and Yuki coming towards me. I hear Yuki mumbling something about how stupid cats are and that the cat was never added into the 12 animals from the start. Not really something he should say to my sister… When we were little, she always wanted to create a cat fan club… Tohru checks her watch and starts to freak out. "It's already this late? I have to work!" she exclaimed. Sorry, Sohma-san, I have to rush to work now. Chouko… I'm really sorry, I don't have time to go back with you. Please be careful on your way home." Before I could reply, Yuki pulls a leaf from Tohru's hair, telling her that he would keep me safe and that she should look after herself. We exchange goodbyes, when I look around I see my sister looking really flustered. So prince charming even affects a naïve person like my sister. I smirk at the thought.

Our whole walk back we remain silent. When we reach the Sohma's house, I speak up "Well… See you around!". However, Yuki doesn't seem on leaving me alone. He softly whispers "I can't leave you, because I promised Honda-san to keep you safe". I sigh and reply "Really… Don't bother. I will tell my sister that you kept me safe.". Having said that, I swiftly walk away. After walking for a while I try my best to not show my annoyance. Does he really think I wouldn't notice that he's still following me? Hiding behind trees is not really the best way to remain unnoticed. But still… It's kind of sweet.

What would he think when he sees the tent? Uh… I really hate the tent… There are mosquitoes every night. Don't forget the spiders… To make it worse, the wind nearly blew the tent away a few days ago. Luckily it's only a temporary solution. Just before I enter the tent, I turn around and send a salute to Yuki. On his face appears a shocked expression. It was like a deer caught in the headlights. I try to hide my smirk… But it didn't really work. Ow well… Nothing wrong with having some fun from time to time.

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A few hours later, Tohru is finally home. She collects some clothes to bring to the creek. The moment she has left the tent, I hear a loud laughter. I look outside and see Shigure and Yuki. "Traitor" I growled at Yuki. Shigure finally calms down and speaks up "Yuki? You knew this? Why didn't you tell me? I had to find out by seeing this lovely flower passing by.". Yuki sighs and responds "You talk like that and you wonder why I won't tell you where two girls live alone in a tent?". "Well… Why don't you two visit us for a while?" Shigure enthusiastically exclaims.

This little scene causes us to be sitting at the table in the Sohma house, explaining our situation. Apparently our tent is placed on private Sohma domain. Oh well… Our mother was a bigger rebel than that! I hear Tohru asking to let us stay for a while on the Sohma domain. Shigure however tries to bring us on other thoughts, because he thinks it's not safe for girls to live in a tent for that long. Tohru jumps up and shouts "I have energy and the drive". This is soon proven to be wrong when she tumbles and appear to have a fever.

In the distance I hear a dog howling. With a pensive face Shigure mentions that there was a landslide near our tent. Although Tohru has a fever, she still wants to check our tent. When we reach the place, we can't see the tent anymore. It is covered by a hug pile of earth. Tohru starts panicking for mom's picture that's still in the tent. We promise her to return the next morning, so she gives up the digging.

Back at the Sohma house, Tohru is resting in a bed. Just when I want to enter the room, I hear her whispering "I didn't tell her… to be careful on the road… because I had a test, I studied till morning and overslept. I couldn't get up… Only that morning I… usually… Every morning I would say it… only that day… I… didn't want to attend high school, I wanted to work. But mom said… 'I only finished middle school. But, I wanted to be a high school student!. So, you must try the high school life for me!'.I know she always worked hard for us. But I didn't tell her to be careful… even when she left, I didn't watch her leave… I'm so stupid! Even if I failed, or the house got blown away, I really don't care. The most important thing is mom. So, at least… finish mom's wish to enter… and finish high school… I can't lose to this little… fever…".

I couldn't take it anymore. As fast as possible I flee outside the house, trying to hold back my tears. How could she blame herself, while it was my fault? I collapse against a tree. I see some rats running towards the pile of earth, but I didn't care. I was drowning in my sorrow when I suddenly hear Yuki saying "Chouko? Are you alright?". I shake my head and notice him kneeling down before me. "It's my fault!" I choked out. Adding in a soft whisper "Why does she blame herself?". Yuki softly pats my head and asks "You mean your mother's death?".

"It's my fault mom died. We had a fight that morning. Normally Tohru wakes up before me. That day she didn't. She studied hard and long to make mom proud. I told mom I didn't want to study like Tohru. I didn't like school, so I definitely didn't want to go to high school. I wanted to start working and support mom and Tohru financially. Mom didn't agree... I was angry and even told her I should just leave them. That way I didn't need to go to school and she would have more money to support Tohru. I can't forget the look on her face the moment I said that. I never saw her that hurt. She left without saying anything. I didn't even have the chance to say I'm sorry... After the accident I heard people declaring that she was lost in thought the moment it happened. I'm sure she was thinking of our fight. If I hadn't said that... Maybe she would have been able to avoid being hit... Maybe she would still be here...".

I remained there sobbing and felt Yuki's hand gently brushing through my hair. It was such a comforting gesture, which caused me to pour my heart out even more. I silently added "I didn't realize until today that Tohru was blaming herself. Now I finally understand why she looks so sad every time she says 'Be careful on the road'. She doesn't know of the fight. She would be disappointed if she finds out. After all she did for me, I can't bring myself to tell her... But I also don't want her to blame herself. She deserves better...". Tears keep sliding down my cheeks.

Yuki gently lifts my head, until our eyes meet. He softly whispers "Honda-san is a strong girl. Maybe now she blames herself, but she will fight and eventually live further happily. She helps the people she loves and she does get love in return. I see it every day in the way Hanajima-san and Uotani-san are fondly watching over her. I'm sure she won't be disappointed if she would hear about the fight with your mom. She would keep on loving you the same. You don't have to worry... I'm not gonna tell her. That's for you to decide when time is ripe. The only thing I can advise you is to keep going to school in honor of your mom. It would make her proud of you. I'm sure she's looking out for you all the time. She definitely understands how you feel about the fight and forgives you. So please forgive yourself. ".

His words are running through my thoughts. Could it be that easy forgive myself, to keep on living happily? Would mom really be proud? I'm feeling both sad and happy. In a reflex I pull Yuki closer to me for a comforting embrace. Suddenly I hear a dull sound and I'm hugging Yuki's clothes and a rat. "Yuki? Is that you?".

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_**Hi all! I hope you liked my first chapter.**__** C&C welcome :)  
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	2. Chapter 2

**What would happen if Tohru had a younger sister? I hope you enjoy my story. Please note that I do not own Fruits Basket.**

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His words are running through my thoughts. Could it be that easy to forgive myself, to keep on living happily? Would mom really be proud? I'm feeling both sad and happy. In a reflex I pull Yuki closer to me for a comforting embrace. Suddenly I hear a dull sound and I'm hugging Yuki's clothes and a rat. "Yuki? Is that you? Did I do something wrong?". The rat is staring at me, remaining silent. I'm slowly getting worried and I'm starting to doubt my mental health, until I hear a sigh and the rat finally replies "Yeah... I changed because you embraced me. But it's not your fault, you didn't know.".

I couldn't do anything, but to stare at him in shock. Is this real or am I dreaming? I pinch my arm. Ouch… It hurts... Yuki studies me for a while before again speaking up. "You know… It's not a dream… You're probably disgusted to find out I'm a monster.". I find it difficult to reply, it's just so confusing… Why is he so afraid of my reaction? "Disgusted? Why would you say that? I think it's cool… Can I learn that too?". Apparently he didn't expect my response. He seems to be lost in thought for a moment, before silently whispering "Umm... no, sorry ... It's a family curse. Currently 12 people are like this. When they embrace someone of another gender, they change into animals of the Zodiac."

It couldn't help it… I'm getting excited by my new discovery. "So there are others like you? Like Shigure?". Yuki seems to ponder whether he should reply to my question. I'm happy that he decided to do so. "Yes, Shigure is also a member of the Zodiac.". I knew it! "I guess he is a dog… It would really suit him. I also remember him listening to the howling earlier.". "You're right. He is a dog. But maybe it would be better that you wouldn't tell him that you know of our family secret. One time when I was little, a few children found out that I could turn into a rat. The memory of each of those children was erased that day. I don't want them to erase your memory, because you seem to accept me this way." Yuki shyly comments.

It looks like he doesn't want to further explain his comment, because his turns his attention to the huge pile of earth near us. I follow his gaze. Only now I notice the hundreds of rats that are digging out our stuff. "Thank you, Yuki. My sister will be really happy." The moment I told him, a slight blush appeared on his cheeks. For some unknown reason my hart clenched. It was pure coincidence that he found me here. He only came here to dig up mom's picture for my sister. I have again been fooling myself. People are friendly to me, because Tohru is my sister. I'm afraid that it's the same for Yuki…

Suddenly I hear again the same dull sound, resulting the human shaped Yuki to be sitting in front of me… naked. He quickly grabs his clothes and hides in a nearby bush. Well… that was… surprising… While Yuki is getting dressed, I decide to organize my thoughts. I quite like Yuki, but is he only being nice to me to please Tohru? Maybe it's better to just ask him what he thinks of me… The moment he is back, I speak up "Yuki?" "Yes, what's wrong?" he replies with a worried tone. "Will you be my friend?" I ask unsure. My incertitude immediately disappears when I see a warm smile appearing on his face. "I would love to…". His reply makes me really happy.

Once we have retrieved all our stuff, we walk back in silence to the house. I'm again thinking of my sister. She's really too nice. She will never blame someone else. She will do whatever it takes to make people happy. Mom always told me that Tohru started to act like dad, because mom had a hard time getting over his death. Now my sister is suffering, because mom is gone… Before I had problems on my school, I was always energetic, happy and a bit rebellious like mom. Maybe it's time to go back to those days, to act more like mom. I want to cure Tohru and if possible myself too. I look at Yuki and say "Thanks for agreeing to be my friend. I decided to change back into my energetic self. I want to be able to make Tohru smile.". Yuki nodded at me and smiled as he understood my logic.

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Bird tjirping pulls me out of my dreams. I open my eyes and find myself in an unfamiliar room. It takes me a while to register that I'm in the room where Tohru was laying with a fever yesterday. More exactly, I'm laying down in her bed… Didn't I fall asleep in the living room? I enter the hallway, when suddenly my sister appears. She's looking much happier, holding mom's picture in her hands. "We can stay here in the empty room on the 2nd floor, until grandfather's renovations are finished. We only have to do some house chores!" she happily exclaimed. Goodbye tent and mosquitoes! I decide to go for a little morning walk outside.

When I return to the house I hear a delivery boy saying "ah haha, what a clever dog. Thank you for the business!". A dog? Oh no… Shigure… I go inside and see three animals arguing. "Who's the cat?" I ask. Tohru looks at me and exclaims "They all turned into animals!". I sigh and answer "Well yeah… Yuki is the rat and Shigure is the dog. But I still don't know who the cat is…". "A boy crashed through the roof… and he… he wanted to fight against Yuki… I … I … I wanted to stop him and he … turned into a cat… and … when I was feeling a bit dizzy… I fell into Yuki and Shigure… they also changed!" Tohru is completely freaking out. "So far for the family secret" I sigh.

I listen to them explaining my sister the family curse. Suddenly I hear the dull sound again, so I cover my sister's eyes. I also close my own, but leave one a bit open for a little glimpse. I must say… It was worth it! Further listening to the conversation I learn that the cat's name is Kyo. I notice my sister happily watching Kyo, as she always liked the cat more. Time to spice things up! I jump behind Kyo and roughly rub his hair while shouting "Wow! It's an orange head! Mom would have liked this!". Kyo tries to pull away, causing me to fall against him… So now an orange cat is yelling at me. The situation is just so funny… I couldn't do anything else than grinning. All this time I see my sister watching the scene with a silly smile. I really hope I can make her happy again…

A bit later Kyo has turned normal again. Shigure is teasing him, which causes him to again start yelling. Oh my… someone has a bit of a temper. Suddenly Kyo smashes his hand on the table, splitting it in two. One side of the table hits my sister forehead. While Yuki is taking care of 'punishing' Kyo, I take the bandage from Shigure to take care of Tohru myself. Once the wound is covered, I flick my finger against the bandage and with a big grin I sing "pain, pain go away, please do not come back another day", just like mom always did. My sister is staring at me. Suddenly she sends me a big smile. I'm not sure how to react. It has been 5 months since the last time I saw her give me a real honest smile like that. It makes me feel warm inside. I carefully place my forehead against hers and close my eyes, enjoying the moment.

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Yuki, Tohru and I again go to home together from school… It's nice… Something I really want to get used to. When my sister and I arrive in our new room, we find something unexpected… Kyo is fixing the hole in the roof, where he fell through in the morning. He turns his attention to Tohru and tries to apologize with a completely red face. It's so cute… Not really like him… I again couldn't keep in a remark "Good kitty, you deserve some milk.". Immediately he starts yelling. Seems he's again in his comfort zone. A bit later we hear that Kyo will also live with us. Hmm… Maybe I shouldn't have said that before…

That evening Tohru and I make a huge effort in cleaned the kitchen. While I'm doing the finishing touches, Tohru is preparing dinner. She's really good at house chores. For me, cleaning is ok… But cooking is a complete disaster. During dinner, Tohru is getting excited over Yuki's secret base. I don't really understand her excitement. I often played in a secret base when I was little. On the other hand… maybe it was because the boys didn't allow Tohru to enter… they found her to girly. Hey! I'm a girl too! Way to go… getting annoyed by my own thoughts… Ow… I hear Kyo is joining Yuki's and Tohru's school… That will be interesting…

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I come home from school and find Kyo already skipping classes, although it's only his first day of transfer. Ok… I have to be honest… I'm also skipping sports… But only because I didn't find a partner and I had to sit on the sidelines… Apparently Kyo and Shigure are having a conversation. I know it's not nice to listen to other people's conversations… but I just sounded interesting. I hear Shigure say "If you know you'll regret it afterwards, don't yell at her. You're hopeless." Kyo replies "It's impossible… I… am not suited for living with other people.". "You are just purely lacking experience. In dealing with others, sometimes you hurt others, or get hurt. If you don't learn from other people, in principle you will never become an understanding person." Shigure advises. So it's probably about Kyo yelling at Tohru…

I decide to help Kyo a bit by pushing him to talk to Tohru "If you really need to yell, pick me as your victim. If you act that way with Tohru, she'll think you hate her. So please tell her you don't mean it like that." I'm currently walking with him on the road towards my sister's work. When I see my sister heading our direction, lost in thought as usual, I say "Go get her tiger… Or kitty.", before hiding myself in the bushes. I'm doing my best to hold in my laughter when I see Kyo's hair straitening in annoyance, just like a real cat. Ok… Breathe deeply… in and out. Oh my… Did she really hit him with her bag? Hahaha… Now it's impossible to keep it in. phew… But I must say… the conversation is going well. Tohru even declared her love for cats, which turns Kyo's face completely red. Maybe it's time for me to leave… I head back to the house… alone, but somewhat relieved… I'm glad we got the chance to live together with the Sohma's and I hope we can stay here a little bit longer…

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**That's all for now, Folks! I hope you like it!**


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